美国独立日到底是7月2日还是7月4日？

In the US, Independence Day is all about getting decked out in red, white, and blue, throwing some meat on the barbecue, and shooting off fireworks.

在美国，独立日就是穿红、白、蓝三色的衣服，把肉扔到烤肉架上，然后放烟火。

That's just America's way of commemorating its founders' decision to rebel against King George III and declare their independence in 1776.

这正是美国纪念其创始者，在1776年反抗乔治三世国王，并宣布独立的方式。

Representatives from the 13 colonies that would band together to form the US debated the breakaway from Britain over the course of a number of hot summer days in Philadelphia.

来自13个殖民地的代表们聚集在一起组成美国，他们在费城度过了一个炎热的夏天，就脱离英国进行了辩论。

But, while the Fourth of July is currently the US's national holiday, the Declaration Independence was issued as an initial resolution on July 2.

但是，虽然7月4日目前是美国的国定假日，但《独立宣言》是在7月2日作为一项初步决议发布的。

On that day, Massachusetts delegate and future US president John Adams was certain that he'd witnessed history — and that the date would live on in memory.

在那一天，马萨诸塞州代表和未来的美国总统约翰·亚当斯确信，他见证了历史——这一天将永远铭记在心。

"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America," wrote Adams, in a July 3, 1776 letter to his wife, Abigail.

亚当斯在1776年7月3日写给妻子阿比盖尔的一封信中写道:“1776年7月2日将是美国历史上最值得纪念的日子。”

Adams ended up being off by two days. The Declaration went through some revisions and was finalized on July 4. But historians believe that the document wasn't signed until about a month later.

亚当斯最后放了两天假，宣言经过了一些修改，于7月4日定稿。但历史学家认为，这份文件直到一个月后才签署。

Emily Sneff, research manager of the Declaration Resources Projectat Harvard University, wrote that 49 of the 56 signers didn't even add their signatures to the declaration until August 2, 1776: "It took several months, if not years, for all of the signatures to be added."

哈佛大学宣言资源项目的研究经理艾米丽·斯奈夫(Emily Sneff)写道，直到1776年8月2日，56名签署者中有49人甚至没有在宣言上签名：“要让所有人签名，如果不是几年的话，那也最少需要几个月的时间。”

She cited the Journals of the Continental Congress, which include this August 2 entry: "The declaration of independence being engrossed and compared at the table was signed."

她引用了大陆会议的期刊，其中包括8月2日的这篇文章：“《独立宣言》在会议桌上经过认真核对后，正式签署了。”

So, why do we gather together to blow things up and overeat on the Fourth?

那么，为什么我们要在4号，聚在一起大搞特搞呢?

The Declaration was technically approved on that day, and the copies distributed throughout the colonies were dated July 4, 1776.

从理论上讲，《独立宣言》是在那一天通过的，因为分发给各殖民地的副本的日期是1776年7月4日。

As a result, that was the date that stuck in people's minds.

所以，这一天就在人们的脑海中定格了。